Investigating knowledge management factors affecting Chinese ICT firms performance: An integrated KM framework

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in the Journal of Information Systems Management, 28(1), 19 - 29, 2011, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10580530.2011.536107.This article sets out to investigate the critical factors of Knowledge Management (KM) which are considered to have an impact on the performance of Chinese information and communication technology (ICT) firms. This study confirms that the cultural environment of an enterprise is central to its success in the context of China. It shows that a collaborated, trusted, and learning environment within ICT firms will have a positive impact on their KM performance

Can multinational companies foster institutional change and sustainable development in emerging countries? A case study.

Emerging countries present institutional necessities that hinder their sustainable development. In the face of this challenge, companies, and in particular multinational companies (MNCs), can foster sustainable development through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This study focuses on the role of institutional change in transforming CSR into sustainable development in emerging countries. To this end, we propose a view of CSR focused on its institutional determinants and outcomes from a social and developmental perspective. By using quantitative and qualitative data, we analyse the case of three MNCs from different industries based in Europe and operating in Mexico. The case study shows how firms can stimulate institutional change in developing economies and contribute to their sustainable development as measured by the sustainable development goals. Various mechanisms about how this process is made are devised: institutional entrepreneurship, multistakeholder initiatives, interconnection of different institutional dimensions, and subsidiary entrepreneurship. The case study highlights the interaction among MNCs, developing countries, and institutions and how firms' sustainable actions scale up to the macro level.post-print399 K

Progressive Focusing and Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research: The Enabling Role of Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS)

* The business and management community increasingly recognises that qualitative research is a ‘messy’, non-linear and often unpredictable undertaking. Yet, a considerable proportion of the qualitative research published in top journals is still presented as the result of a linear, predictable research process, thus wrongly suggesting deductive reasoning. * In this paper, we focus on a particular type of ‘messiness’ where during fieldwork, the research context is revealed to be more complex than anticipated, forcing the researcher to gradually refine/shift their focus to reflect ‘what really matters’. We adopt Stake’s notion of progressive focusing for this gradual approach. * Progressive focusing is well-suited to qualitative research in international business requiring complex iteration between theory and data, and the truthful yet coherent presentation of the research process. We propose that this dual challenge of complexity and trustworthiness may be addressed by using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). * We present conceptual considerations and guidelines and offer a view on a ‘messy’, non-linear doctoral research project conducted using a progressive focusing approach, to demonstrate how CAQDAS can help to develop and re-negotiate insights from theory and interview data, as well as enhance trustworthiness, transparency and publication potential